Oh Suzani!

Heather was looking for fabric for drapes last fall.  Something unusual.  Something with color, but not too much color.  So she finally choose a gorgeous linen fabric and bought a yard just to make sure she loved it.  She brought it over for me to see and I said, “I love it.”  “It’s a Suzani pattern.”  Heather…"huh?  What’s that?" Me…."That circle thingy .”  Brilliant, huh?  And that’s all I knew.

Circle thingy…..

 

Close up of circle thingy…..

So finally……Internet to the rescue.  What do these “circle thingies mean?”

Suzani comes from the Persian word for "needle," and the word refers to embroidered hangings or fabric coverings, generally a meter and a half wide (4-5') but sometimes much more. The birthplace of suzani is in what is now Uzbekistan, the area along the Silk Roads that interconnected the cultures of Europe, Turkey and China with the Muslim world. Islam came to this area in the eighth century, and over time splendid cities arose there: among them Bukhara, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz and Khiva.

Source: bukhara-carpets.com

So there’s my answer. 

I love this chair with vintage Suzani fabric.  So bohemian.

And here are Heather’s drapes!  We love the way they look.  This vignette includes a vintage chair with original upholstery, one of her hand painted tables, and funky pillows.  Then there’s a patio door to the right and then another window just like this one where we swaged the curtain to the right.  Strangely enough, she and I both felt like the Suzani fabric needed something else.  We found the olive green velvet that we added to the top and we made the trim.  She wanted a custom look, and we definitely accomplished that!

I do believe that’s the other color way of Heather’s fabric.  First one on the left, above.

So now, I’m starting the New Year just a little better educated!  Even if it is with nearly meaningless trivia.

Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Denise